LE progress and quilting gallery

Hi everyone, one of the few blogs which I won't be linking to Esther's WOW as I fly out tomorrow to visit Mum for 10 days. I am so looking forward to seeing her and also catching up with old friends.
I am bed hopping so to speak, spending days with Mum and nights with different friends.
Have a dated  list so I don't get my days wrong.

Have been working away on LE,  I didn't know until Bunny's wonderful photo on her blog which corner was going to Part 4 so  I guess I may have also started on part 5 or 6 Lol
Here is where I am up to, just about ready to pack away to take with me to Christchurch as so many people want to see it.

I have made my own version of the vases, think they are very close to what the pattern will be, will be living with them as they are stitched down, apart from the top edges so I can add the stems as per the pattern.
I think the introduction of yellow has worked well and I now have my color palette, apart from a green, which I think is in my curtain samples.

This is my 3rd vase for this corner. have used one of the fabric's from the curtain samples I was given.
First one when I fused it on my iron was too hot and it melted !!! Second one was good - until I studied Bunny's Photo and realised it was a little small, 3rd one I think is just right, sounds a bit like Goldilocks and the 3 bears Lol.
Found a medallion center that I love for the circle on the vase.

Not the fabric I was planning on but I didn't have to drive 150 km's round trip to buy it, it was the only gold overlay fabric at my local fabric shop so bought a fat quarter to try out.
Definitely wanted to carry through the gold overlay in my fabrics and think this oriental pattern works well especially with it's shadings. My second vase, again my first pattern was not quite right. Guess it would have been far easier just to wait for Esther and use the proper pattern, but with going away!!!
The purple circle is my 3rd, there are 2 others underneath that didn't work, but metallic thread and bobbin fill is very difficult to unpick and I don't want to risk putting  holes in my background fabric.
First was a leaf shape from my inspiration fabric, 2nd was the deep teal of my other vase and it was too strong, This I think is easier on the eye. Again top edge is not stitched or fully fused yet.

And a huge thank you to everyone who has taken the time to visit this weeks show and tell at quiltinggallery.com and vote for my wall hanging.
Last time I looked I was in 3rd place and to me this is so thrilling. The whole thing is fun but to know people around the world like your work is an amazing feeling. Thank you again everyone who has voted.

Here is my Beyond the Black Stump and a couple of close ups  of the torn background as well.

The sky I made up before I started  from 4 different fabrics, cutting out the blues that were too bright and reverse appliqueing reds into those areas, they do show up, but it was the totally wrong blue for what I wanted. The mountain line was fussy cut to give it the definition as I felt it needed it

I worked over a base of iron on Pellon Batting so I could secure each layer working from the sky downwards.
The top edges of the fabrics are all torn from fabric strips. Try it, it distorts and allows movement and you get a soft edge and  can create gentle curves.

Once a layer was in place, fused and pinned as well, excess underneath fabric was cut away to allow the next layer to be held in place by both fusing and pinning.
Background complete and  top stitched as you can see in the photo's, I  placed and fused the tree and stitched into place.
I used a  black metallic thread and just did heaps of stitching  to create the effect of bark and knots on the tree.
It is on my sewing room wall and I love it but often think how did I do that !!!
See you all in a couple of weeks,
Cheer's Jenny